The invention is directed to a T-shaped precision attachment for detachably securing dental prostheses and bridges to the remainder of dental work including an attachment matrix member and an attachment male member that is provided with an activatable slot.
T-shaped precision attachment devices are used in dental prosthetics in order to secure prostheses and removable bridges to the remainder of the dentures or to fixed crowns or bridges. In the past, they have included various differently shaped attachment devices in an attempt to obtain secure seating of the members. Generally, the attachment matrix body member is slotted away from either the occlusal or the gingival sides. By widening this slot with special tools, the lamina formed by the slot are bent apart whereby the insertion of the male part into the attachment matrix produces an additional frictional contact in addition to the more or less exact snug fit in the matrix and thus assuring an even more secure seating. This process is designated "activation". The place of connection between the rest of the denture and the removable prostheses is a region which is especially strongly stressed in the mouth of a patient.
As a result of rotation of the attachment devices around the transverse axis of the slot, the slot is gradually compressed thus causing loosening of the seating of the attachment device. This occurs whether the slot is in the occlusal or the gingival region of the male part. As a result, the prostheses is frequently undone and can be lost. To avoid this, the attachment devices must be "activated" again at frequent intervals.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a precision attachment for detachably securing dental prostheses and bridges on the rest of the denture consisting of a male and female member with the male member being provided with an activatable slot positioned so that it avoids the foregoing difficulty.